Chair Kafoury honors Dr. King’s legacy at interfaith event headlined by daughter of Malcolm X

January 21, 2019

Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury pledged to continue the fight against racism at an interfaith celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday at Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church in north Portland on January 20. The county leader shared the stage with faith and elected leaders from the Portland region, as well as keynote speaker Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X.

Attallah Shabazz, eldest daughter of Malcolm X, speaks at interfaith event celebrating Dr. King on Jan. 20, 2019.

Kicking off the annual event, host pastor J.W. Matt Hennessee noted that the church is the only place of worship in Oregon visited by Dr. King. In 1961 he spoke at the church, which has a long history of supporting civil rights.

After hymns by church members and the Pacific Youth Choir, faith leaders representing Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist congregations delivered welcomes. Then Chair Kafoury and other elected leaders shared their thoughts on the program’s theme of “Now is the Time.”

“Dr. King’s message of service, of justice, of peace and of love is possibly even more needed today than it was 50 years ago,” Kafoury said. “We need hope, to keep us going amidst the latest tweets and political division. We need courage: to step up and speak out about what’s right even in the face of threats and fear. We need that beloved community, where we can find comfort and compassion.”

County Chair Deborah Kafoury speaks at Jan. 20 interfaith celebration of Dr. King holiday.
Chair Kafoury noted that much of the county’s work is at that “important intersection of service and justice. We care for families fleeing domestic violence and for the elders in our community who need a little help. We step into families’ lives as early as the birth of a new baby and make sure parents have the tools and the support they need to nurture that next generation.

“These are turning points, opportunities to change the health and wealth and strength of entire families and generations.”

Kafoury said her work at the county has changed her and made her better: “As a person, as a mother, as an advocate, and as a leader.”

“Dr. King said, ‘Our lives begin to end the day we keep them silent about things that matter.’ On the tough days, as I choose to walk my values instead of doing what’s politically easy, I remember that quote,” she said.

The chair mentioned Multnomah County’s own challenges ending racism and discrimination within the organization. She vowed to fight these problems head on and in public, which sparked applause from the audience. “There can’t be any more silence about racism and discrimination,” Kafoury said. “Policies must change, and organizational culture must change. We must be relentless, unwavering and unflinching.”

“I look around this church and I see so many people who reflect the same passion and community concern, and I know I am not alone. Let’s continue Dr. King’s journey together.”

State Senator Lew Frederick, who grew up knowing Dr. King’s family, shared remarks, as well as Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who spoke with such passion about Dr. King’s legacy that Pastor Hennesee called him an honorary preacher.

The program’s keynote speaker Attallah Shabazz recalled that her late father Malcolm X was a friend and admirer of Dr. King, even though factions on both sides tried to keep them apart. “Malcolm and Martin were brethren,” she said. “That’s why I can be here today.”

For many years, Shabazz teamed up with Dr. King’s late daughter Yolanda King, to speak to audiences about the importance of pursuing their fathers’ legacies. “Yolanda was an absolute friend, sister and comrade,” Shabazz said. “Like with our fathers, some people didn’t want us to be together.”

A practicing Muslim, Shabazz noted that her father and grandmother were interested in the central truths of all major faiths, which share common themes. “Lent and Ramadan both last for 30 days and are a time for us to focus on our faith,” she said.

Shabazz reflected on her family’s personal loss and how it related to the King holiday. “For some, this is represented as a day off, for a sale at a store. But when you live it and these are your people, it’s a different kind of feeling… My father and Dr. King did not make it to [age] 40. They couldn’t have imagined that what they cared about would still matter today.”

At one point, Shabazz asked those in the church who were ages 48 to 50 to stand. “Just imagine, you have lived your whole life with Dr. King gone,” she observed. She encouraged people to learn about other cultures. “Ignorance of one another is what has made unity impossible. We need more light.”

Paraphrasing the words of her father, Shabazz ended by saying “May we meet again in the light of understanding, by any means necessary.”